Academic staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) have declared a two-week warning strike over the alleged non-implementation of the FGN/ASUU agreement.
The decision was announced on Friday, August 14, by the Chairperson of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT branch, Dr Andrew Apeh, during a press briefing in Enugu.
Apeh recalled that the union had issued a one-month ultimatum in June, demanding the immediate implementation of the agreement.
He said that as of August 14, there had been “zero reflection” of the agreement at ESUT, accusing the university management of misinformation, confusion and inaction despite repeated attempts at dialogue.
According to him, the union reached the decision after exhaustive deliberations during its congress meetings on July 14 and 25 and following directives from the union’s leadership.
Apeh said the strike was also prompted by several outstanding issues, including alleged unpaid Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) dating back to 2009 and more than 17 years of accumulated arrears.
He directed that all academic activities at the university be suspended from Friday, August 14, until the end of the warning strike.
He said there would be no lectures, examinations, project supervision or defence, statutory meetings or departmental activities during the strike.
Apeh also directed academic staff to stay away from the university’s campuses in Agbani and Enugu throughout the industrial action.
He warned that a monitoring team had been established to ensure compliance, adding that any union member found on campus or participating in academic activities during the strike would face disciplinary action.
The ASUU-ESUT chairman said the union was not embarking on the strike because its members wanted to, but because they had been “pushed to the wall.”
He appealed to the Enugu State Government, ESUT Governing Council and university management to intervene, saying the union’s patience had run out.
Apeh also called on Governor Peter Mbah and other stakeholders to intervene urgently to prevent the university from sliding into total collapse.
